No Subject

[Mino Trombetta <SQR@SPSUK.DEMON.CO.UK>]

     We have discovered what seems to be a weakness in the SQR v4 INPUT 
     command option 'format= ' that makes it difficult to ensure that 
     reports written using SQR v4 are Year-2000 compliant.
     
     
     The idea is that you can use 'format= ' to force the entered input to 
     be in a particular format.  E.g for dates;
     
                INPUT $date type=date format='DD-MON-YYYY'
     
     In this example, any entry that is not a valid date, in this format, 
     is not accepted, so on the face of it this is quite a useful feature 
     that ensures all dates keyed in by the user are Y2000-proof.
     
     Unfortunately, we have noticed that if you specify '....YYYY' it is 
     still possible to enter a 2-digit year, such as '99'.  Worse than 
     that, SQR then interprets '99' as being 99 AD. 
     
     
     This functionality is consistent with the entry of other data types; 
     for example, allowing the entry of '1' rather than insisting on '0001' 
     when inputting into a numeric field of format '9999' but we think it 
     is inappropriate for dates and would like to see it changed.
     
     Incidentally, if the year format is '...YY' then '99' is interpreted 
     as 1999, but '00' is still 1900!!
     
     What is the general feeling about this?  We can't possibly imagine why
     anyone would want to specify a 4-digit year in the INPUT format and 
     then enter a date in the first Century, but you never know I suppose!
     
     Should SQRiBE change the way 'format=' works?  We think that you 
     cannot possibly certify your organisations' reports as being Year-2000 
     compliant, (even if the SQR code itself is), if it is possible to 
     bypass what may appear at first glance to be a valid checking 
     mechanism.  There does not seem to be a way of stopping the entry of a 
     2-digit year (without using a separate checking  routine you wrote 
     yourself) if the user is really determined to key one in.
     
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     From       : Mino Trombetta
     
     Company    : Software Product Services Limited Tel        : +44 
     (0)1483 730771    
     Fax        : +44 (0)1483 727417
     E-Mail     : support@sps-uk.co.uk
     URL        : http://www.sps-uk.co.uk 
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